Modular sanitary fixture

ABSTRACT

An improved sanitary fixture of rapid and easy application, comprising in a single body of the same material, the actual sanitary apparatus, a facing section of the wall for application of the apparatus and a section of the floor adjacent to the said wall.

United States Patent 11 1 Greppi Nov. 27, 1973 [54] MODULAR SANITARY FIXTURE 2,099,317 11/1937 Schmiedeknecht 4/166 X 1 5 1 [76] Inventor: Pierluigi Greppi, Perledo (Como), I I H llaly 3,302,215 2/1967 06111161.," 4 7 3,490,080 1 1970 Sypal 4 6 [22] Fflfid' 1970 3,541,613 11 1970 Sypal 4 6 [21] App]. No 28,855 2,834,026 5/1958 Kronish 4/10 3,398,408 8/1968 Capraro et a1 4/7 52 us. 01 4/167, 4/6, 4/187, FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 4/104 54,209 1/1938 Denmark 4/6 [51] Int. Cl..... A47k 1/04, A47k 3/22, A471 11/08, 263,385 3 1929 Italy 4/6 E030 1/18, E03d 13/00 [58] Field of Search 4/1, 6, 7, 166, 167, Primary ExaminerHenry K. Artis 4/ 187, 104 Attorney-Young and Thompson [56] References Cited [57] ABSTRACT UNITED STATES PATENTS An improved sanitary fixture of rapid and easy appli- 946,851 l/191O Bowman 4/104 cation, comprising in a single body of the same mate- 974,145 11/1910 l-linsdale 4/104 rial, the actual sanitary apparatus, 21 facing section of 2,182,979 l2/1939 Bruzenakn 4/104 the wall for application of the apparatus and a section 3,377,630 4/1968 Robare .1 4/6 of the floor adjacent to the id walL 2,065,104 12/1936 Stamberger 4/7 2,097,167 10/1937 Swinnerton 4/ 166 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented Nov. 27, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 Wk m w n/ fl w E3 0/ Patented Nov. 27, 1973 2 Sheets-Sham 2 I Inventor P/EPL we/ GREPP/ Attorneys MODULAR SANITARY FIXTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved sanitary fixture of rapid and easy application, of limited cost and of excellent sanitary characteristics, which lends itself more especially to use in hospitals, in clinics, in public places and in hotels, but which can also be adopted advantageously in private dwellings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Such a unit is characterized in that it combines, into a single body of the same material, the actual sanitary apparatus, a facing section of the wall for application of the apparatus and a section of the floor adjacent to the said wall, the said apparatus and the said sections being mutually linked by means of curved lines and rounded surfaces.

The sanitary apparatus forming part of the said unit can, of course, be a lavatory bowl, a bidet, a wash basin or other similar element.

In the modular selection provided, the measurements of bulk of the unit, determined mainly by those of the facing sections of the wall and of the floor, will remain unchanged.

It is clear that, simply by assembling side by side units according to the invention with the same or different types of sanitary apparatuses, it will be possible to realize efficiently a bathroom or in general a wash room, no matter how prearranged, with considerable sanitary and economical advantages compared to the traditional solutions. The invention provides that, for the coherent completion of these bathrooms or wash rooms, there are used, in association with the sanitary service units already indicated, facing units formed by sections of wall and of floor linked together and the dimensions of which are on the one hand in accord with those of the sections of wall and of floor of the sanitary service units and on the other hand allow to constitute a connection between different modular systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be explained in further detail, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a wash basin unit made of metal;

FIGS. 2 and 3 represent a lavatory bowl unit and a bidet unit respectively, made of ceramic material or the like;

FIG. 4 represents the wash basin unit of FIG. 1 associated with a small wall unit or recess placed above the wash basin unit itself; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate facing units to be assembled side by side with the sanitary service units for the completion of bathrooms or wash rooms, the facing units of FIGS. 5 and 6 being wall units of different width and the facing unit of FIG. 7 being an angle unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT All three of the sanitary fixtures illustrated in the first three figures comprise a sanitary apparatus which may be a wash basin 1 (FIG. 1), a lavatory bowl 2 (FIG. 2) or a bidet 3 (FIG. 3) or even any other similar sanitary apparatus. This apparatus is in each case formed into a single monolithic body with a facing section 4 of the wall to which the apparatus has to be applied and with a facing section 5 of the floor adjacent at the said wall.

The various parts of this single body are linked together with rounded surfaces and/or curved lines so as to eliminate altogether any sharp comers and thus prevent the deposit of waste and/or filth of any kind and facilitate cleaning. It should be noted in particular that the section 4 and the section 5 are linked :frontally, at the bottom, by a curved surface 6 and at the sides by flat lateral profiled elements 7 intended to fit together with companion elements of an adjacent unit of the service.

Similar features are possessed by the facing units provided by the invention as a necessary complement to the sanitary fixtures for the realization, according to a rational and unitary character, of adequately functional bathrooms or wash rooms.

FIG. 5 represents a facing unit 8 formed by a wall section 4 and by a floor section 5' linked together at 6', 7' and constituting a single piece whose bulk is, in height and depth identical to, and in width half that of the service units of FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 6 represents in turn a facing unit 9 similar to that of FIG. 5 but of double width, equal to'that of the sanitary service units.

The facing unit 10 of FIG. 7 is, finally, an angular ele ment which comprises two wall sections 4" at right angles and a floor section 5", linked at 6", 7". This unit is indispensable to realize coherently a bathroom or wash room using units of the type: of the invention, in that it serves to connect, at the corners of the room itself, the wall and floor sections of sanitary service units or of facings belonging to contiguous walls. Like the units of the previous Figures, it is shown as being made out of ceramic material, but it can be made of metal material, like the wash basin unit of FIG. 1, or even of plastic material. The height and depth dimensions will be those of the other companion units, whilst the width may vary, as already seen for the units of FIGS. 5 and 6, always remaining within the limits of the modular choice provided and so that these units may efficiently and advantageously constitute connecting elements between one modular system and another.

In FIG. 4 the wash basin unit of FIG. I is illustrated with the completion of a recess unit 11 comprising a wall section 12 and two openings 13. Units of this type, in an infinite range of variations in shape, can usefully complete the main units to realize greater functionality and comfort in bathrooms or wash rooms.

The units illustrated being planned according to a modular dimensioning, constitute a template for water inlet and outlet pipes, which can be and preferably are arranged on the walls of application of the apparatuses after their prefabrication in the works.

The units according to the invention can be manufactured in any suitable material. In the case of FIG. 1, these are made of metal, and preferably one will use porcelained pig-iron or other metal to be enamelled or treated on the surface in an adequate manner. In the case of FIGS. 2 to 7, the units are made of ceramic material (vitreous china, or the like). The possibility of using suitable synthetic plastic materials for the same units seems evident. Such materials will lend themselves particularly well to forming the facing units for which the requirements are less strict in various respects than for the sanitary fixtures. The external dimensions of each of the units described coincide perfectly for each set, so that it is easy to replace each unit with a companion unit equipped with different apparatus and, naturally, also with an identical unit in the event of breakage or damage.

It is evident that a sanitary wash room or bathroom will be equipped with a set of different sanitary fixtures and with different facing units, so as to realize a homogeneous and functional installation which will permit making the most of the advantages provided by the invention, both from the point of view of assembly and from that of use.

Naturally, amongst the sanitary fixtures there can be provided also bath units or bath section units, although this service can also be advantageously applied in a conventional manner in association with facing units of the type already described.

I claim:

l. A modular sanitary fixture for bathrooms or washrooms to be inset at the junction of a wall and floor flush with the wall and floor, comprising a unitary block of solid material, said block integrally including as an integral portion of said solid material a sanitary fixture such as a washbasin, a lavatory bowl or a bidet, said block also comprising an integral upright portion of rectangular outline that comprises a facing section of the wall in which the fixture is to be set, and an integral horizontal base portion of rectangular outline that comprises a section of the floor in which the fixture is to be set, said fixture and upright portion and base portion being formed as a single monolithic body, said fixture projecting forwardly from said upright portion and upwardly from said base portion and having a concave forwardly and upwardly opening surface that extends full width of the fixture and that merges smoothly with the forward surface of said upight portion and with the upper surface of said base portion.

2. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 1, the width of said base portion being the same as the width of said upright portion, said base and upright portions having sides disposed in parallel vertical planes.

3. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 2, said base portion terminating in a forward surface disposed in a vertical plane parallel to the wall in which said unit is to be set, said upright portion terminating upwardly in a horizontal surface which is parallel to the floor in which said fixture is to be set.

4. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 1, and plumbing fixtures carried by and extending through said unitary block.

5. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 1, said base portion terminating forwardly in a forward edge which is disposed in a single vertical plane that is bounded by four corners spaced from said fixture, said upright portion terminating upwardly in an upper edge which is disposed in a single horizontal plane that is bounded by four comers spaced from said fixture.

1 UNITED sT'Affis PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N 3,7 Dated November 27. 1973 Inveneofls) gi Greppi It is certified that error appears in the abeve-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby cor rected as shown below:

On the cover Sheet insert v [30] ForeignApplication Prior ity-Date April 15,1969 lpal -No 14.61ZA/69 Signed and sealed this 15th day of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest: L

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. V c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM po'wso uscomwoc 60376-P69 U.S GOVZNMHEE'I PRINTING OFFICE 9 9 o Patent No. 3,774 245 Dated November 27, 1973 Inventor) Pierluigi Greppi It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet insert:

- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 15 1969 Italy -No 15.612A/69 t This certificate supersedes Certificate of Correction issued Oct. 15, 1974.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of January 1975.

[SEAL] Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-1050 (10-69) U$C OMM-DC 50375. :69

' r us eovznumzm rnlmmc OFFICE: 930 

1. A modular sanitary fixture for bathrooms or washrooms to be inset at the junction of a wall and floor flush with the wall and floor, comprising a unitary block of solid material, said block integrally including as an integral portion of said solid material a sanitary fixture such as a washbasin, a lavatory bowl or a bidet, said block also comprising an integral upright portion of rectangular outline that comprises a facing section of the wall in which the fixture is to be set, and an integral horizontal base portion of rectangular outline that comprises a section of the floor in which the fixture is to be set, said fixture and upright portion and base portion being formed as a single monolithic body, said fixture projecting forwardly from said upright portion and upwardly from said base portion and having a concave forwardly and upwardly opening surface that extends full width of the fixture and that merges smoothly with the forward surface of said upight portion and with the upper surface of said base portion.
 2. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 1, the width of said base portion being the same as the width of said upright portion, said base and upright portions having sides disposed in parallel vertical planes.
 3. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 2, said base portion terminating in a forward surface disposed in a vertical plane parallel to the wall in which said unit is to be set, said upright portion terminating upwardly in a horizontal surface which is parallel to the floor in which said fixture is to be set.
 4. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 1, and plumbing fixtures carried by and extending through said unitary block.
 5. A modular sanitary fixture as claimed in claim 1, said base portion terminating forwardly in a forward edge which is disposed in a single vertical plane that is bounded by four corners spaced from said fixture, said upright portion terminating upwardly in an upper edge which is disposed in a single horizontal plane that is bounded by four corners spaced from said fixture. 